She pointed with her muzzle on straw bedding. “Rest and eat something.” She gave him sausages. Malamute wanted to refuse, but saliva deluged his mouth. “Ice and I will take care about everything. At midday there will be a meeting of whole dogs community. Elders will get know what has happened, what Blade, David and Daniel did. What I should tell them? Do you want to stay in Buckland?”

“If you let me stay...” replied former leader. “And if you want to.” His sister came to him and licked his forehead. “Sky, but it isn’t so simple.” Added with uncertain voice. “I must tell you something about me...”

So he told her everything what was important. His short history, since puphood was brief and concrete. Although it neglected some chapters from malamute’s life, Steele was honest – he said everything about his deeds – both glorious and shameful. He described his airy life in Nome, then he told about argument with Balto and tragedy on sled-route then his escape from town. He said honestly what he did, having tears in his eyes – he was crying for the first time since his parting with mother. And Sky was listening silently, just nodding her muzzle.

“You know...” she said finally. “Maybe you’d better not share those details with the council.” Judged. Former leader took it as a condemnation and sign of scorn, so he bowed his muzzle in shame. But bitch didn’t mean it at all. She was just wondering about it, heavily touched by brother’s tale. “So you want to start all over here?” asked.

“I did.” Replied dog. „But if you judge that I’m haven’t deserved for that I’ll seek some other town.”

“Steele! Don’t talk a rots!” interrupted him Sky. She laid down and nestled to brother’s coat. “Fortune gave both of us precious gifts.” She added seriously. “It gave a second chance to you... and gave you to me. We will mage it... All gonna be all right.”

“So you still consider me as a brother?” asked Steele, not fully believing in that. She nodded her head. “Sky... I’ve betrayed my owner! I’m not a real dog anymore...”

“Don’t talk about it.” She interrupt. “Eat something and I’ll go to the council. We will speak at evening, when I’ll finish with Ice looking for runaway caribu of mister Tazaku.” And she went off the shed.

Behind the wall Arashi Tazaku was examining his patient. Blade was still unconscious due to strong dose of tranquillisers that doctor gave him before operation, but in general his condition was quite good. That meat: good as grave condition he had been. Spitz was to be cured for long weeks, maybe even months, so he was definitely unable to run with sled. Japanese sighed heavily thinking about that problem. His son-in-law needed every dog strong enough to pull the sled, so loss of Blade (even temporally) was a serious problem.

“Sky, Ice, David, Daniel...” thought doctor. “And then only reservists: Moon, Arrow and Ringo. But them won’t stand the longer routes. I must find some other way. Just to last to the thaws and arrival of ships.” Then he recalled about stranger and with smile on his face went to the shed. He knew that caring Sky took her guest home. “Well, Sky... maybe he is you <other way?>” thought Japanese.

He entered the storage to be greeted by Steele’s uncertain stare. Dog stood at once and went to the wall, carefully observing human. He didn’t take any combat pose, however he was ready for everything. He estimated the distance between him and dog-hatch and little relaxed bowed his muzzle in gesture of humility. However, he bowed in that way, he still was able to see human’s hands.

“Well, well, well...” murmured Japanese in english but once again with that funny accent. “You are actually keen-nosed, aren’t you? But I wouldn’t say: wild.” He went to former leader and without any fear he touched his muzzle. He stroked the refugee. “How did you get here, in Buckland?” asked unknown dog. “You looked to me as pedigree alaskan malamute, a well-groomed dandy from some breeding.” He was examining guest for some time, then added. “Or no... Well-groomed, yes. But surely not a dandy. I see that you have pulled many sleds in your life. But how you came here? You belong to someone? I see no collar...”

Steele unwillingly tensed his neck. The collar! He lost his collar, a sign that he belonged to Gunnar Kaasen. He had to lost it in forest during his wander or on some hunt. Loss of that keepsake hurt him hard – but not because he wanted to recall years in Nome but because he lost the last mark of civilisation. He had been running many days as a savage even didn’t know that! And then he belonged to no one – that was extreme unnatural for him.

“But if you belong to no one...” was talking human. “Maybe you want to be my dog? I saw that Sky accepted you and she knows her kind well. So what do you say, my guest? Will you stay with us?”

Steele relaxed, loosened his muscles and surrender to caress of Japanese. They both considered it as an conditional agreement and remained in that state for few minutes. Later doctor with gentle but willingly move put Steele on the floor and looked on his cuts. Then he went out to house and returned after a while with medkit. The biggest scratch of dog he sprayed with some mysterious liquid and took out from his bag scary-looking thing, called <syringe> by humans.

“Now we will see, if you are really tough and obedient.” Murmured Tazaku and putted a needle in malamute’s side, next to the main wound.

Steele remained motionless (although he barely represses his impulse to run), trusting in peaceful human’s face. After a while he felt a wave of sweet paralyse, deluging all his body, starting from wounded side. He didn’t notice when Japanese bended over him and stitched his cuts from husky’s hit to minor injuries. The pain was coming from beyond the veil and was only soaring dog a little. Then he probably fell asleep, because hadn’t noticed when human putted him on bedding and left alone.

Arashi Tazaku was older, short man of solid and strong constitution. He come from small village near Kobe, where he born sixty years earlier. He was the most gifted from five of his siblings, so he was sent to city for education. After many adventures and troubles he made a university degree of medicine. During his studies he needed money, so few times he stopped education and joined the whale-hunters ships, where he was serving as deck-medic and cook. Not long after he finally graduated Russian War broke out. Arashi instantly join the Japanese Navy  and became a surgeon on battleship “Yashima”. Ill-fated warship on it’s very first combat cruise at Port Arthur Battle, run into a mine and sunk next to the russian outpost. New-graduated doctor was helping the wounded ones to the last moment, even after command to abandon the ship. His mates sailed out in life boats, thinking he died in the first explosion. But he survived – jumped to cold water and swam with life belt to the nearest shore. There he hid himself from tsars army and waited few days. Then he started to north (even didn’t know that his fleet won the battle and was already descending on Port Arthur). He didn’t try to return to own army – he was so ashamed by failure of his ship. Spotted honour made him to move away from his personal lost, hiding in forests from Russians. He got to Vladywostock, where he (in dramatic circumstances) joined the american whale-hunters and sailed east. It was just coincidence that he went to the Bears River mouth, to Buckland. His ship had to be repaired and that town turn out to be nearest proper place to land. But citizens of Buckland were in those days on the edge of doom – shigellosis epidemic. Doctor agree to help ill and stayed in town after departure of his ship. He stayed and helped to contain the plague and additionally he fell in love with one of his patients – miss Isabel Smith. Although he was an alien, grateful citizens were treating him as a hero – he was accepted in community and when Isabel agreed to marry him, he decided to stay for good and to support people in Buckland with his wisdom and scalpel. His wife died two years later, but first he gave birth to their only child – Sara. Daughter inherited beauty of the white mother and diligence and intelligence of asian father. Tazaku was raising her alone, then for few years sent her to school in Anchorage. After her return Sara again lived with her father, helping him in medical practise. It had changed just one year before Steele’s arrival, when Sara Tazaku married local trapper and owner of dogs sled team – John Ash. So old medic again lived alone, however not all alone – house of his daughter and son-in-law was near and they were considering Tazaku’s house as their second home. Also Japanese was helping John in care of sled team, healing and examining dogs. Year earlier in gift from his daughter he received a young bitch, that was Sky.

“Ow, Sky...” murmured doctor, seeing through the window returning wolfdog. Just after her was running Ice, pure breed greenland dog, pride of Ash’s sled. Because Sky and Ice seemed to be couple for some time, Japanese always let the dog into house, knowing that male used not to outstay this welcome. That why with gentle smile he ignored well known guest. House of Tazaku and Sky was also a home of greenland.

But just in case he went to the shed to check if old resident wouldn’t argued with newcomer. In his surprise, he noticed that both dogs greeted themselves very politely and smart Ice was treating wounded one with necessary caution. So he left all trio and started his daily patients-round.

“Hallo Steele.” Said greenland. Although they weren’t officially featured, Sky told him about her lucky-found brother and on elders gathering dog was voting for citizenship for newcomer. “How are you today?”

“Much better.” Replied patient. “That yellow man